In response to a Twitter user who said he was burned out on MMOs and missed games like Monkey Island, Full Throttle and Space Quest, he added, "Not funny at all. There's a reason Kickstarters for classic adventure games and classic RPGs have done so well."

It's a far cry from Erickson's gushing words about BioWare on his LinkedIn page, which hasn't been updated to reflect his departure. "Took a step down from Lead Designer role at EA to get into BioWare and learn from the best story designers," it says.

The reason for this is probably that developers are usually forced to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement when they leave if they want to receive their last payouts from whoever owns them. Meaning that even if they quit because the hours were absolutely horrendous, the work atmosphere toxic, and the executives as corrupt as a barrel of Mafia thugs, legally they can only say nice things about the company, not any of the stuff about why they left.

It's probably the only reason why companies like EA and Activision are still going. If developers routinely spoke out against the sort of conditions they're forced to work in, I think most level-headed gamers would end up going off those big publishers, if only from nausea.

I dont know where you live, but where I live I would love for them to shove something like that in my face just so that I could take the them to court. There is no way they can hold your backpay ransom. They can withhold Bonuses and golden handshakes but not backpay.

BrotherRool:I find it interesting that this guy worked for EA (and in a higher role) before Bioware, presumably for a long time if he was lead designer. I wonder if EA changed, or he saw a new side or his issues were with a different section of people than he normally met with.

I'm not entirely convinced by his analysis though, I agree the F2P well probably will only work for a small amount of people with buckets and we're not in the same situation that lead to LotoR making so much money in conversion, but I'm not sure if that means there's still space for subscription either

Maybe what he said is the truth of it. He wanted to broaden his skillset.

I'm genuinely hoping that the lead people of Bioware will all find new work for a year or two, then all come back together and rise from the ashes... like Clover did to make Platinum Games.

I still like their games, but they've definitely taken a step down since EA's been calling the shots. Still gonna play TOR until it's gone (or until my friends stop playing), but it looks a lot to me like the Bioware people were waiting for their IPs to finish (ME3, TOR) before slipping away a little at a time.

Well, it will be old Bioware's last game. If they're still around, they'll be working on games not known to be Bioware's forte, like C&C Generals 2. Kinda hoping they can all found another company and then pull out a KickStarter everyone backs, like Oblivion's Project Eternity. Maybe they can Kickstart what I've always wanted to see: Jade Empire 2.

DVS BSTrD:Bioware is losing people faster than the Old Republic is losing subscribers.

No shit dude. Bioware actually has employees while TOR has no subscribers, so...

Nah, jokes aside. I wonder how much of this is just sensationalism. I mean, sure, some key players have left Bioware in the last few months, but if we turned our eye to Bethesda, would we have seen just as many people leave after finishing Skyrim?

DVS BSTrD:Bioware is losing people faster than the Old Republic is losing subscribers.

No shit dude. Bioware actually has employees while TOR has no subscribers, so...

Nah, jokes aside. I wonder how much of this is just sensationalism. I mean, sure, some key players have left Bioware in the last few months, but if we turned our eye to Bethesda, would we have seen just as many people leave after finishing Skyrim?

I have no idea, but it would be interesting to know.

No you would not. Bethesda has maintained itself quite nicely. Obsidian as well.

There is no doubt that Bioware is no longer the same company. I liked their last games, but they lacked soul or identity...it was a nice, but sad experience playing them.

Things aren't looking good. When all the people who talk the biggest about what Bioware is supposed to be about are running for the hills, the fort can't stand for long. Good luck to him in his endeavors. Smart move though, you don't want to be the last guy who cares about this stuff when everyone else just wants to collect a paycheck.

DVS BSTrD:Bioware is losing people faster than the Old Republic is losing subscribers.

No shit dude. Bioware actually has employees while TOR has no subscribers, so...

Nah, jokes aside. I wonder how much of this is just sensationalism. I mean, sure, some key players have left Bioware in the last few months, but if we turned our eye to Bethesda, would we have seen just as many people leave after finishing Skyrim?

I have no idea, but it would be interesting to know.

No you would not. Bethesda has maintained itself quite nicely. Obsidian as well.

There is no doubt that Bioware is no longer the same company. I liked their last games, but they lacked soul or identity...it was a nice, but sad experience playing them.

Strange. I thought Obsidian had to send quite a few of their people away just recently over financial problems. Meaning they're not maintaining themselves quite nicely.In fact, I'm pretty sure they never have. They just can't seem to catch a break.

OT: Yeah, we've certainly seen this kind of thing with EA before. And we've seen where it lead, too. Time and again. Doesn't necessarily mean Bioware is gonna eat its gun anytime soon, but hey. One can never now.

...OT: Yeah, we've certainly seen this kind of thing with EA before. And we've seen where it lead, too. Time and again. Doesn't necessarily mean Bioware is gonna eat its gun anytime soon, but hey. One can never now.

'

It's not so much a matter of a sudden bullet, as it is like the way some insects devour their prey by injecting it with digestive juices and then suckling the resulting soup, before tossing the remaining empty shell to the side, maybe after briefly wearing it as a novelty hat first.

sadly, i agree. with so much of the staff that made games we all loved gone (are any even left?) i can imagine dragon age 3 will be their last big game, and i hope to god they knock it out of the park, but i doubt it. and even if they do, after the end of the mass effect trilogy, tor being somewhere in-between success and flop (you didn't flop if you start with 2 million subscribers who played day one. that's 30 million dollars at LEAST, plus the cost of the game itself (which was how much? 30$? 40$?) which means another nearly hundred million dollars. thats out of the gate success, but i digress)

after all that, even if DA3 does well, i want them to die. die so that your work does not go to be perverted, so that you end on a note worthy of respect, rather than a slow, whimpering death, years after abandonment by those who once loved you. and i know thats not how business works, you dont end right after success, though the employees could rally together and quit, which would have everyone agree that, effectively, effectively yeah, bioware is gone.

but that is all an ideal world. before something like that can happen, 2 publishing giants must be toppled, burnt, and broken into so many pieces that are each disassembled on a molecular level, so that they have no hope of restoring what once was of their tyranny.

kinda sad really. i used to be one of the ones who hoped that bioware could continue and make good stuff for years to come. that the mass effect universe might go and become something beautiful and diverse and multi-media, a bit like starwars. but yeah, thats probably not going to happen. not now.

jollybarracuda:So that's now 2 people who have joined Bethesda right after leaving BioWare? Interesting...but at the same time, i like it. Bethesda at least attempts to make quality RPGs. I think, with Skyrim, they spent too much time crafting an excellent world, rather than fleshing out a proper RPG experience, but it's still better than how EA/BioWare turned Mass Effect into a shooting gallery. Interested to see where this all goes, or if it will make a difference at all.

captcha: caesar saladHAIL CAESAR!

I think if Bethesda and Bioware co developed an Elder Scrolls RPG it would be the greatest game.

Imagine Bethesda lore and map design with Bioware character design and polish. I want it NAOW!

I don't know... it's a bit sad, but is it too early to say that Bioware is getting hollowed out, and is going to become a shell of its former self? I just don't know... I feel bad for some reason, when dedicated game designers quit/forced out of their jobs because reception for their work wasn't 100 percent positive just bugs the hell out of me.

Fappy:There is no way all these departures are going to look good to the shareholders.

Wait... dafuq happened to your avatar?

OT: I'm not sure how I feel about this, I mean it's going to definitely hurt Bioware, but it might just be what they need to break free from EA. Maybe it's EA execs blaming Bioware's veterans for listening to them and making a game set to EA standards, and then having that game completely flop and all the Bioware employees are leaving. Or maybe the talented people still at Bioware will all leave and create their own studio as far away from EA as possible.

I swear to God, if EA kills out Bioware like they did with Pandemic studios...

Its sad, the reaction on this thread. And kind of boneheadedly hypocritical. People who are calling/wanting Bioware to die are most likely to have bitched at EA for closing down their favourite studios.

AzrealMaximillion:Its sad, the reaction on this thread. And kind of boneheadedly hypocritical. People who are calling/wanting Bioware to die are most likely to have bitched at EA for closing down their favourite studios.

I now see how the EA hate machine works.

rather they 'die' then watch them rape a much loved franchise. That's how it works.

Oh you bought into the 'people just love hating us because we are so awesome' EA statement

AzrealMaximillion:Its sad, the reaction on this thread. And kind of boneheadedly hypocritical. People who are calling/wanting Bioware to die are most likely to have bitched at EA for closing down their favourite studios.

I now see how the EA hate machine works.

rather they 'die' then watch them rape a much loved franchise. That's how it works.

Oh you bought into the 'people just love hating us because we are so awesome' EA statement

Never said EA was awesome, just think that the hate they get is kind of sad. Or at least the way people hate on EA. It looks childish the way people take digs at EA every chance they get, yet when other companies pull the same thing (sometimes more often) EA is still the only company besides Activision that can do any wrong.

So he's not an old hand from Bioware or really from Bioware at all, but one of the people EA brought in, presumably to work on TOR?Well if that is the case, as it seems to be, I'm not surprised he's moving on.

Never said EA was awesome, just think that the hate they get is kind of sad. Or at least the way people hate on EA. It looks childish the way people take digs at EA every chance they get, yet when other companies pull the same thing (sometimes more often) EA is still the only company besides Activision that can do any wrong.

It's because other companies are far easier to trust. We haven't seen say CD project red's or bethesdas brutal history of killing devs and it can be inferred from their more unique and quality games that they care to some degree about game making and not 100% about making money. If they do something wrong people think that it's an honest mistake, or they know what they're doing.

EA on the other hand has been pretty much cartoonishly evil for years. When they do something wrong it's hard not to think that they're trying to increase profit at the cost of game quality.

Also you missed out another company. Capcom is pretty easily hateable too.

Fun fact, considering that a sequel for Mirror's Edge is basically on ice right now (EA "confirmed" it at E3 2011, but there hasn't been any information about it in any form except that it might use the Frostbite 2 Engine), DICE is really only being sustained by Battlefield right now. But, you also have to consider Visceral Games, who made Dante's Inferno and are on their current last leg with Dead Space, because EA is looking like they'll axe the entire franchise if the third one doesn't sell more copies than the first two combined.

OT: Well, that sucks. It seems all of the memes about EA killing Bioware are rapidly becoming more and more relevant (as if anyone except Bioware themselves were really questioning the validity of them).